The sequel to the smash hit original game, Infinity Ward returns to the familiar World War 2 setting. In this installment, players take control of four different characters, each of a distinct, allied nationality, as they fight though hordes of Nazi's on their quest to free the world.

Call of Duty before shit got crazy.

When I first got a 360 I was looking for a decent first person shooter that would show off the power of my new machine and whilst working at Target stumbled across Call of Duty 2. At this point I had very little experience with checking out news and previews for games online and learn't mostly from magazines but had somehow missed any news of this game coming out. Once the game was safely purchased and spinning franticly in the ridiculously loud disc tray I became completely absorbed by the innovative gameplay and strong graphical style. Playing online was at that point a rare treat but hugely enjoyable and I found it considerably more noob friendly than certain other online shooters that are available now and had sold around ten million units by March 2010. There was something pure and hugely enjoyable about Call of Duty 2, sure it didn't have perks, levelling up or throwing knives but the multiplayer was smooth and loads of fun and didn't invite such a rabid following that the game became broken.

I hope that there will be another shooter in the near future that encourages more of a level playing field dynamic (without being the bullet sponge that is Halo), while still providing the player an incentive to play in a competitive sport-like manner. I can't help but assume that Modern Warfare 3 is going to be more of the same system that we have grown accustomed to since 2007, but I'd love to see Infinity Ward's next title really mix up the formula. One can only hope.

ps. sorry for jumping on the wm3 hype train, recent announcements got the old gears ticking.